Chapter 46: Sudden Attack in the Dark of Night (2)

  At this point, Chen Long's expression was extremely complex. He had been in the ancient imperial mausoleum for over a thousand years and could be said to have seen many strange people. Those who entered the ancient imperial mausoleum to search for treasure, relying on their powerful skills, all ended up dying in various traps, ghostly creatures, and poisonous substances.

  Chen Long still clearly remembers that there were many powerful ghosts inside, but they had no memory left, only killing and destruction. Chen Long also doesn't know why he kept his clear memories and calm mind, but what's depressing him is that he still doesn't know how he died back then, only remembering that when he was traveling around the country, he passed by a mausoleum that was being built, and then suddenly fainted or died, anyway, when he woke up, he found himself turned into a ghost. At that time, his abilities were weak, so for thousands of years, he has been working hard to improve his strength, now although he has changed back to human form, Chen Long is still searching for the reason of his death, although the hope is slim, but at least it's something to hold onto.

  Chen Long looked up the information and knew that the Northern Song Dynasty imperial mausoleums were located in Gong County, which is between Zhengzhou and Luoyang in Henan Province. To the south, it faces the majestic Mount Song's Shaoshi Peak, to the north, it borders the Yellow River's natural barrier, winding and blocking the way. To the east lies the towering and steep Qinglong Mountain, with the Luo River running east-west across the entire county. Since ancient times, it has been considered a auspicious place with "high mountains and flowing water". Therefore, all Northern Song emperors except for Huizong and Qinzong were buried here. The Northern Song imperial mausoleum area in Gong County starts from Xiaoyi Town in the north, extends to Xicun in the west, passes through Zhidao Town in the middle, covering an area of approximately over 30 square kilometers. However, Chen Long's travels at that time were in the Zhejiang area, so the Northern Song Eight Mausoleums were naturally excluded.

  Chen Long died during the reign of Song Guangzong, who was also a short-lived emperor. He reigned for only five years from 1189 to 1194 and was one of the more incompetent emperors in the Song Dynasty. After ascending to the throne at the age of 43 following his father Song Xiaozong's abdication, Guangzong proved to be weak and sickly, lacking the talent to govern the country. He listened to the treacherous words of corrupt officials and dismissed prominent warlords like Xin Qiji. The government was dominated by the infamous Empress Li, a cruel and jealous woman who controlled politics with an iron fist. The court's policies took a turn for the worse compared to the clear and bright governance during Song Xiaozong's reign. Guangzong himself neglected state affairs and indulged in wine and women until his death. He was buried at Yongchong Mausoleum, located 35 miles southeast of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. Chen Long wondered if he had coincidentally stumbled upon the tomb of this unlucky emperor back then. Although he wasn't clear about his route at the time, he should have been in the vicinity of Shaoxing.

  According to historical records, during the time of Emperor Kublai Khan, Yang Qianzhen, a Buddhist monk from Jiangnan, and others, including Monk Yunze from Yanfu Temple, excavated various tombs with the support of Chancellor Sangge, obtaining many treasures such as "Ma Wu's Jade Pen Box", "Copper Windscreen Pipe", "Interlocking White Comb", "Fragrant Bone Case", "Tiger-Subduing Pillow", "Cloud-Piercing Zither", "Golden Cat's Eye", and "Fish-Shaped Jade Fan Handle". This suggests that the six imperial mausoleums of the Southern Song Dynasty should have been thoroughly looted. So, why did Chen Long wait for that particular tomb to remain unvisited by those people?

  Chen Long was certain that among the several waves of people, there was absolutely no one who knew about Jiangnan's teachings. So, wasn't the tomb he had been guarding a royal mausoleum? It couldn't be, if it weren't a royal mausoleum, how could there be so many mechanisms and so many vengeful spirits guarding it? Was it perhaps a secret burial site for some emperor? The corpse in the six tombs was fake? Such a substitution trick wasn't impossible.

  Chen Long was somewhat confused, fortunately he didn't think about it anymore.

  Recalling her thoughts, she found Li Yun staring at her in a daze, and suddenly felt a bit embarrassed: "Have you mastered this formation?"

  Li Yun nodded slightly, it turned out that he was so absorbed in thought when thinking, she had called him several times and he didn't respond. "I've figured it out earlier, I think we can set up now."

  "Then let's get started!" Chen Long took out a few array flags and handed them over to her.

  Li Yun took a deep breath, concentrated her magic according to Chen Long's method and infused it into the flags. The ordinary flags suddenly emitted dazzling golden light. With a single swing of her arm, one flag swiftly flew out and was inserted into a corner five meters away, immediately disappearing without leaving any trace. Next, the second, third, and fourth flags successively flew out, inserting themselves into the ground in three different directions, also disappearing from view.

  Chen Long picked up a hose and turned on the faucet, and suddenly clear water gushed out continuously.

  "Use your strength to vaporize the water mist, remember to control the degree, otherwise it will completely turn into steam." Chen Long reminded.

  Within a few hundred meters, the flags were fixed in place and there would be no strong winds to blow away the fog. As long as enough fog was set up, it would envelop the entire stone house and courtyard.

  Li Yun spoke and acted, her hands pressed into the water, continuously releasing the spiritual power from within her body. The water on the ground quickly "boiled" up, turning into tiny droplets floating in mid-air. If one looked closely, they would discover that these water vapors were still crystal clear, without a hint of heat. As time passed bit by bit, the water vapor gradually spread out, filling every nook and cranny of the array.

  Looking at Li Yunxiang's sweaty appearance, Chen Long couldn't help but say: "Why don't we take a break first?"

  Li Yun forced a smile: "Didn't you say they would be coming soon? If I get it done early, everyone will be safer."

  Chen Long gazed into Li Yun's eyes for half a moment before saying softly: "You're a good girl."

  "What's the point of saying that?" Li Yunjie wiped the sweat from her forehead with her small white hand, her big eyes and black pupils were very beautiful, making Chen Long's heart skip a beat. "People who know me all say I'm gentle and kind! You just haven't noticed yet."

  Chen Long was amused by her stinky words: "I guess your friend has walked into a blind spot, right? I said you're a good girl, but didn't say anything about being gentle and kind."

  "What's that?" Li Yun curiously opened her eyes wide, but her gaze gradually dimmed. "Actually, I don't have many friends! In today's society, it's so hard to find a good friend! And there's no one who really understands me. Auntie Shi was very kind to me and among all these people, she understood me the most, unfortunately, she just left like that."

  "Her revenge will be avenged." Chen Long didn't know how to comfort her, the deceased was already gone, and even if he avenged his death, what's the use?

  Li Yun's melancholy mood was quickly covered up: "I now only hope to get out early, can you promise me to bring Sister Shi's ashes with me when I go out?"

  Chen Long slightly furrowed his brow: "You want to cremate her body?"

  "It's not just hers," Li Yun continued to sprinkle water on the ground, "I hope to cremate all their bodies and take them out. You also know that the possibility of us coming back is not great. If there are very powerful ghosts coming out to haunt as you said, then asking others to transport the bodies isn't sending them to death?"

  Chen Long didn't think that much either, and was stunned by Li Yun's words. Subconsciously, he continued thinking along this line: "Yes, it's indeed troublesome! And even more troublesome is how we're going to explain the deaths of so many people to the police?"